The Geography of Galapagos Islands and Kiribati - Research Paper

Introduction

The Galapagos are volcanic islands and have the equator passing through them and are therefore distributed on each side of the equator. They are 906 km west out of continental Ecuador. Their coordinates on the globe are 140'N-136'S, 8916'-9201'W. The furthest Island to the North is Darwin Island and the furthest one to the south is Espanola Island, and they are 220km apart. Isabela is the largest one with the size of 5,800 square kilometers which means it is three-quarters of the total area of the Islands. These islands are considered a province of Ecuador and have a population of roughly 25,000 people whose local language is Spanish. They are 18 islands, 107 rocks, and islets. Each island's size is approximately one square kilometer. Santa Cruz though not the biggest of all other Galapagos Islands is the most essential of all islands. It is the center of these Islands and also houses important locations such as the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Tortoise reserve. It is also the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park Services.

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The islands are directly sited on the Nazca plate. This is a tectonic plate, and it is in motion towards the east/southeast and going under the South American plate 6.4 cm each year (Sinton and Christopher 117). These islands are also located on an area with actively erupting volcanoes. It is believed that 8 million to 90 million years ago is when the first islands were formed. The older islands have been covered by water and are under the sea. However, Isabela and Fernandina being the youngest are still in the process of formation. As recent as 2018, Sierra Negra was erupting and releasing magma to the coastline (Gregg 73). The main Islands are as discussed below:-

Baltra is a tiny Island situated almost at the center of these chains of islands. It was formed from an uplift of the lands. It is an arid island with small bushes. Bartolome Island is highly volcanic and is among the youngest among all other islands. It is named after Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan. This Island is inhabited by Galapagos Penguin and the Green turtles. The Darwin Island named after Charles Darwin has an area of 0.42 square miles with the highest point being 551 ft (168 meters). It is inhabited by seals, Nazca boobies, frigates, marine turtles, sea lions, iguanas, whales and swallow-tailed gulls (Glynn and Peter 421). The Espanol Island named in recognition of Spain is also known as Hood Island about Viscount Samuel Hood. Its size is approximately sixty square Kilometers with the highest point being 676 ft (206meters. This island is regarded as the oldest approximated to be 3.5 million years old and it is also the furthest Island to the South. This Island is characterized by unique endemic species of animals because of its remote location. Some of these species include the lava lizard, the Galapagos tortoise, and mockingbird.

Fernandina Island is named after King Ferdinand II with an area of six hundred and forty-two square kilometers and the highest point being 4,902 ft (1,494 m). Fernandina is the youngest island and is the farthest one to the west. It experiences volcanic activity, and the last one was in 2005 when a volcano erupted. There is a narrow stretch of land on the Island called Punta Espinosa which is inhabited by different animals such as pelicans, seals, and penguins. Mangrove forests can also be seen on this island. Floreana Island named after the first president of Ecuador is one hundred and seventy-three square kilometers. The highest point is 2,100 ft (640 m. This is the island that was inhabited by humans before others. It is extensively inhabited by Flamingos and green sea turtles. Genovesa Island which is notably known because of Christopher Columbus is fourteen square kilometers and its highest point is 249 ft (76 m). The Island is formed by a submerged caldera and is inhabited by many species of birds (Sawday and Jonathan 11). There is also a big Palo Santo forest on the

Isabela Island is named after Queen Isabela, and its size is four thousand six hundred and forty square kilometers (4,640 km2). It is the biggest island, and its highest point is 5,600 ft. It was formed by the action of six volcanoes combining to form a land mass (Guzman and Beatriz 247). The equator passes through this Island. Marchena Island is one hundred and thirty square kilometers with the highest point being 1,125 ft (343). The North Seymour Island's highest altitude is 92 ft (28m). The Island was formed through a geological uplift. The Pinzon Island is 18 square kilometers big with the highest point being 1,503 ft (458m), Pinta Louis Island has a size of Sixty square kilometers and the highest place being 2,549 ft (777 m).

Additionally, the Rabida Island is 4.95 square kilometers, and its highest point stands at 1,204 ft (367 m). This Island is red due to the elevated levels of iron in the lava. Importantly, San Cristobal Island is five hundred and fifty-eight square kilometers with an altitude of 2,400 ft (730m). This Island is home to the largest freshwater lake in the Galapagos Islands. The Island of Santa Cruz which is the capital of the Galapagos is nine hundred and eighty-six square kilometers with its highest point standing at 2,836 ft (864.5 m), and it is renowned for its lava tunnels. The Santa Fe Island is twenty-four square kilometers, and the tallest point is 850 ft (259 m). Santa Fe has a forest of Opuntia cactus and weathered cliffs. The Santiago (San Salvador, James) Island is five hundred and eighty-five square kilometers, and its highest point is 2,976 ft (907 m). Lastly, the Wolf Island is 1.3 km squared, and its highest point stands at 830 ft (253 m). There are various other small islands, but they are not significant.

The Republic of Kiribati is made up of 32 coral reefs and One Island which is small in size. These islands are found along the International Date Line and the Equator (Yamamoto, Lilian, and Miguel 30). They are midway of Hawaii and Australia. The other proximate Islands to the Republic of Kiribati are Tuvalu, Nauru and the Marshal Islands. Kiribati is eight hundred and eleven square feet and is made of three Islands namely the Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands, and the Line Islands. The total length of the coastline is 1,143 kilometers. The physical appearance of Kiribati is flat with the highest point being 265 ft tall. These Islands are extensively surrounded by huge coral reefs.

To compare the Galapagos Islands and Kiribati, firstly, the Galapagos Islands are a province of Ecuador while on the other hand, Kiribati is a republic by itself. However, they are both in the Pacific Ocean and are made up of a group of Islands with Galapagos being made up of eighteen and Kiribati of three. They are both low on altitude and are both under the threat of sinking to the ocean. The Equator and the International Timeline passes through these Islands. The Galapagos Islands are more diverse than Kiribati owing to their large size and small size respectively.

Works Cited

Glynn, Peter W., et al. "Coral reef recovery in the Galapagos Islands: the northernmost islands (Darwin and Wenman)." Coral Reefs 34.2 (2015): 421-436.Gregg, P. M., et al. "Stress triggering of the 2005 eruption of Sierra Negra volcano, Galapagos." Geophysical Research Letters (2018): 73-79.

Guzman, Beatriz, et al. "Evolutionary history of the endangered shrub snapdragon (G alvezia leucantha) of the Galapagos Islands." Diversity and Distributions 23.3 (2017): 247-260.

Sawday, Jonathan. "They Shall No More Be Remembered by Their Name: Cartography, Anatomy, and the Renaissance Eponym." Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 48.1 (2018): 11-40.

Sinton, Christopher W., et al. "Age Progressive Volcanism Opposite Nazca Plate Motion: Insights from Seamounts and Drowned Islands on the Northeastern Margin of the Galapagos Platform." Lithos (2018): 117-127.

Yamamoto, Lilian, and Miguel Esteban. Atoll Island States and international law. Springer-Verlag Berlin An, (2016): 30-38.